“Ever had a sure thing that managed to exceed all expectations? Dan the Automator’s new passion project PILLOWFIGHT surpassed all anticipatory hopes and then some” when they debuted the new project at SXSW, in Austin (mxdwn.com).

Dan The Automator (Deltron 3030, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Gorillaz), has a new brainchild. He has teamed up with Emily Wells in a new collaborative project called Pillowfight. The delivery is a deft combo of downtempo sexy cool, brimming with the Automator’s pristine multi-layered production. Wells sings with effortless sultry appeal, while the band drops the beat like no one ever started suing over sample use. Amazingly so, the band also includes none other than Kid Koala nimbly shredding on the 1’s and 2’s (and sometimes 3’s), and Lateef the Truthspeaker on backing vocals and some well placed verses that only this particular Bay Area resident could deliver.

Dan The Automator might be best known for his contributions towards the Gorillaz’ first album, though he has been consistently putting out fresh music for over 20 years. Emily Wells is a respected solo artist with s a long-standing musical career as a songwriter and
violinist, with her own solo recordings. Though all musical contributions came from Dan The Automator and Emily Wells, the group has generated quite a bit of attention due to David Choe’s involvement in the project. All artwork and two music videos are
contributed by Choe, who is a respected American painter and muralist.

Pillowfight came about after Kid Koala was paired with Emily on an artist workshop at a Canadian music festival. Knowing that Dan was looking for a female vocalist for a new project, Koala was sure that Emily was that vocalist. Wells went to San Francisco to meet up with Dan The Automator in the studio and worked on tracks that were a part of Dan’s new “passion project”. After Wells wrote and recorded vocals for three days in San Francisco, the two decided to expand the project into a full length album.Scheduled for release on Bulk Recordings / EMI in January 2013.